Bootlegs, Knock Offs and Other ‘Illegal Aliens’. Part 4: Unexplained Phenomena.

This page is Part 4 of a much larger article. You may like to Read Part 1 first.

Delving deeper into the curious and unpredictable world of unlicenced ALIEN merchandise, this page is dedicated to the strange and obscure bootleg action figures that exist as an act of defiance against intellectual property owners. Items found on this page include unexpected syntheses of identities that have never been officially released along with other oddities that don’t quite fit on any of the previous pages. So here they are, the unexplained phenomena of anomalous bootleg crossovers, mutations and other unnatural ALIEN hybrids.

Once again, I’ll keep adding what I can to this page but details may be scant or completely non-existent. Manufacturers, dates and other production details may be incomplete in some cases but will be included where known. Anyone who can enlighten me and share any knowledge regarding any items appearing on this page is invited to respond.

Unlicenced ALIEN Lamp

Type: Unlicenced product.
Product Line: Unknown.
Manufacturer/Distributor: Unknown.
Country: China.
Released: 2023.

I found this item being discussed on one of the Facebook ALIEN Fan/Collector groups. A fellow member had ordered an ALIEN lamp, pictured at left. What he ended up receiving was a low grade copy, almost deficient in every way; and very similar to the item pictured at right. “Oh, Hell.” I thought. “I have to get one of these travesties!” and yes it’s laughably dismal and in terms of quality can compete with any piece of basura (junk) that may come from Mexico except this item is from China. Nonetheless, this one is a keeper and I love it for all the wrong reasons.

This item is a flagrant copy of somone else’s unlicenced product, right down to the battery operated lamp feature. The original piece almost looks like a legitimate and official product. The Alien looks cool enough standing in a cutaway tanslucent fluid cistern, bathed in green light from below. The bootleg, on the other hand, is several levels of quality removed from its source material. Sure, it lights up just like the orginal piece but the lamp fails to illuminate the now fully opaque green fluid and only becomes visible in the creature’s torso. It’s not even a particularly good likeness of the creature, either. It’s one of the most ropy sculpts I’ve ever seen commited to production (of any volume). It is genuinely horrific but not because it’s the Alien but quality here has gone completely absent without leave.

The pronounced lowquality of this appalling thing also extends to its interior. A removable cover is present and inside can be found three batteries. Each one of these batteries were corroded. I was amazed they worked at all! Here’s what this thing looks like when the lamp is on.

If by some tragic circumstance you want one of these things – or you know someone who deserves to be punished with a genuinely awful gift – you can find these tragic items for sale on AliExpress.

Be warned, however, This is quite possibly one of the worst bootleg items I’ve seen in a long time and it really doesn’t look any better in the dark, either; but if you’re OK with that, then go grab one!

Ultra Monster, Dark Galberos

Type: Licenced product.
Product Line: Ultra Monster, Ultraman television show.
Manufacturer/Distributor: Bandai.
Country: China.
Released: 2011.

This is Galberos (portmanteau of “garou” Japanese for “hungry wolf”; and “Cerberus” three headed guardian dog of the Underworld from Greek mythology) a four inch tall vinyl figure inspired by the Kaiju character appearing in popular Japanese television show, Ultraman. This small but robust item features the general morphology of Godzilla; but any passing physical resemblance Galberos may possess with the more famous bipedal, tail dragging apex Kaiju terminates above his shoulders.

From the mid point of the shoulders, the upper hunchbacked torso flows uninterrupted along a series of ridged segments. These segments terminate in a visage strikingly resembling that of an Alien. Eyeless and smooth, the face is devoid of any features other than a prominent set of bared and bloodied fangs. There’s no doubt this aspect of the Galberos character draws some influence from ALIEN. Specifically, it closely resembles the juvenile chestburster stage in the creature’s life cycle.

On either side of the elongated xenomorph-like head, a pair of one-eyed wolf heads are mounted. The television show depicts this character facing down its foes in combat, using these heads to launch fireballs at its adversaries. Alas, such an action feature of launching fireballs(!) or firing any spring loaded projectiles is not present in this item. Thankfully, it is at least blessed with some basic articulation and can rotate freely at the shoulders, midriff and tail.

This sample lacks any tagged label that may have accompanied it when new. Copyright information, year of manufacture and other details that should appear on the underside of its feet are also missing. This sample is possibly a bootleg.

ALINES -vs- COLONIC MARINES

Type: Low production volume.
Product Line: Xenomofos.
Manufacturer/Distributor: Basura Collectibles
Country: Australia
Released: 2022.

Some knock off items are attempts to confuse buyers into purchasing countefeit product. Some like to run with a wild idea licenced companies refuse to engage in. Others are deliberate parodies of established name brands. This ALINES -vs- COLONIC MARINES item is clearly intended as a gag item, taking Diamond Select’s legitimately licenced ALIENS -vs- COLONIAL MARINES 2014 “army men”-like product for a joyride. While the layout and design of the knock off item may appear to be similar, anything more than a cursory glance rapidly reveals an abundance of visual gags, deliberate errors and other anomalous features. Some are tongue in cheek tributes to other products and companies, with the famous ALIEN tagline also being given parody treatment; and now reading, “In space no one cares”.

“ALINES” itself is more than just a prominent mis-spelling on both sides of the header tag. Hiya Toys released an entire range of product with no less than four production run items prominently featuring this exact same typographical error. Here, the error is worn as a badge of honour, tributing that company’s glaring mistake. Other prominent errors also grace the header tag but images of figures appearing on both sides of the card are also of note. The Alien displayed on the card front and the Predator upon the back are both images of Mexican Kenner ALIENS & PREDATOR bootleg items given ample real estate on either side.

Other blatant gags also assert themselves on the reverse side of the header where both Super7 and NECA are unequivicably parodied with fictitious “SCALPER7” and “NOCOF” logos. Some bootlegs aren’t intended to just mimic established product. They’re meant to have fun with the form and be laughed at; and this item does so while it mercilessly pokes its tongue out at multiple products and organisations to achieve this goal. All this and more can be said about the header tag without even investigating the actual contents, which in this case turns out to be generic two inch tall nondescript plastic troops and various lurid coloured insects, of which there is an excess of the assured amount of 6 to be found within the package. “WW2 INFINITRY (sic) vs SPACE BUGS SPECIAL EDITION”, indeed.

SNAILIENS

Type: Low production volume.
Product Line: Snailiens.
Manufacturer/Distributor: Various on eBay, Etsy and elsewhere.
Country: Global.
Released: Sometime during the past decade.

Sometime during the past decade or so, the first snailien appeared. Snailiens are queer creatures and possess the oddly juxtaposed features of a xenomorph head mounted on a mollusc (typically a gastropod) body, complete with shell, head carapace and death dealing fangs.

These oddly grotesque and alluring items have become popular among fans in recent years. Since their appearance, they have proliferated in online stores and elsewhere in many different shapes and sizes, made by a variety of manufacturers. Snailiens are everywhere! Well, maybe not as well distributed around the world as common garden variety snails but they are now established as part of the milieu of unlicenced product and are easily acquired. If you want one, a simple search on eBay and Etsy will net you one fairly quickly. The sample displayed at the start of this entry on “Snailiens” is resin cast while those immediately below are 3D printed, carved and cast. They are relatively easy to find online and being offered to buyers at affordable prices.

Other more expensive Snailiens also exist. Below is a selection of weighty, metal cast Snailiens. These samples are cast in bronze and silver and intended for the more discerning collector of weird stuff. Once again, these items have no official distribution but can be found with quick searches.

8 inch INVADER “Housten” Figure.

Type: Low production volume.
Product Line: INVADER
Manufacturer/Distributor: Unknown.
Country: USA.
Released: Sometime after 2004.

This bootleg item is clearly intended to be Captain Dallas of the Nostromo, yet the name badge has Housten written on it. This is an obvious play on words at work, here. Nonetheless, this item uses an unidentified bearded human figure as a base and is adorned with several uniform badges and patches seen on the Nostromo crew member outfits. It is also packaged with a flamethrower that looks like a recast of a more legitimate item – and may actually be so.

The figure is packaged in a plastic bag with a light card header tag. Features on the header help to assist in identifying when this item was made. The Alien appearing on the front left of the header is from the AvP movie, released in 2004. This detail helps to determine this item was made sometime within the last 18 years. Identifying the doll or the flamethrower included in this item would aid further in determining its year of manufacture.

The header tag itself features other curious features. Compression suited Ripley and the ALIEN movie logo appear on the front of this unlicenced product. The phrase, “12” poseable figure – collect them all!” appears on the front, indicating there may be additional characters in this line. Unfortunately, the “cat. # 0422201” number and barcode appearing on the back of the header reveal no leads when investigated.

Also of note on the back of the header is the wonderful and brilliant phrase “…in space, no one cares” which hilariously mocks the well known ALIEN tagline.

Thank you James Chapman for photos of this item. It would be greatly appreciated if anyone can provide me with additional information regarding the doll used as a base on this duplicitous item.

Fake “Kenner” ALIEN Action Figures

Type: Low production volume.
Product Line: “Kenner” counterfeit.
Manufacturer/Distributor: Unknown.
Country: USA.
Released: Sometime between 2006 and 2013.

Following the massive success of 3.75 inch Star Wars action figures, toy manufacturer Kenner intended to release a series of similarly scaled tie-in toys for ALIEN. Unfortunately, the series was abandoned prior to commencing series production, leaving an entire product line cancelled and relegated to toy industry mythology. Fans wanting such ALIEN action figures were left with only a single recourse: Make your own.

Custom made carded ALIEN action figures are perfect examples of the creative lengths fans would pursue to fill this void in order to own such toys. Here is Ripley and the Alien in blister card packaging, replicating something along the lines Kenner may have released had they not cancelled this product line in 1979.

It’s possible to estimate this set of two figures was actually made sometime between 2005 and 2013. One image appearing on the back of the cards promotes a “Nostromo space tug” play set but it uses an image created by Yann Souetre in 2006 of the Nostromo in dry dock. So it’s not possible for these items to exist prior to this date with that image prominently placed on the card. 2013 is the latest these would have appeared as Super7 released their blue carded ALIEN ReAction figures that year rendering the need to go to such lengths as making your own 3.75 inch action figures completely unnecessary.

Images of this pair of ALIEN bootleg figures kindly provided by Paul Snell

Other custom 3.75 inch carded ALIEN action figures made for similar reasons are also known to exist. The bootleg creation below uses a Hot Toys ALIENS snap kit figure mounted inside the package to achieve this goal. Note the tail and back appendages have been removed to make the figure fit inside the blister. Once again, we can estimate a date on this item as the Hot Toys ALIENS snap kits were released in 2006 thus determining this item would have been made sometime between 2006 and 2013. After this date, Once again, the release of Super7’s ALIEN ReAction figure product line renders this exercise almost pointless.

ALIEN Pikachu

Type: Mass Produced – ALIEN/Pokemon.
Product Line: Unknown.
Manufacturer/Distributor: TaoBao.
Country: China.
Released: 2019.

These figures were originally custom art objects as much as they were bootleg items and were made by Tooth Fairy Studios. They were originally released with limited availability and sold at Wonderfest 2018 (Japan) and Ani-Com & Games HK 2018 (Hongkong) events. Originally priced at US$75 each, they sold out quickly.

Since then, they have reappeared in a more easily acquired form. These ‘mass market’ versions are exact fabrications of the original pieces but are considerably cheaper at around US$15 on eBay. Other unlicenced ALIEN/Pokemon hybrid’s are known to exist. The Pokemon Bulbasaur has also been spotted in the wilderness of eBay.

We had the joy of reviewing Freak Pika on HIDEOUS PLASTIC.

ALIEN-MAN

Type: Art Object.
Product Line: N/A.
Manufacturer/Distributor: Spymo.
Country: UK.
Released: 2010.

More of a unique Art Object than an unlicenced bootleg figure, Spymo’s ALIEN-MAN is a custom piece made by artist Xevi Soler. This card backed figure uses the body of a glow in the dark Scooby Doo villain action figure with a Tsukuda Hobby ALIEN keychain employed for the head. Only a single sample was made and packaged by the artist.

The original item has been influential and replications are known to exist. Spymo only created a single ALIEN-MAN but other versions of this figure are known to exist, originating from different artistic sources. The carded figure appearing in this entry is the original ALIEN-MAN. Other samples are essentially copies, or ‘bootlegged’ duplicated items made by using matching parts easily acquired on eBay and made to emulate this composite figure.

Over the years, ALIEN-MAN has achieved cult status and often appears in online forum discussions and Facebook. This status has also led to the creation of ALIEN-MAN fan art.

More information regarding ALIEN-MAN on HIDEOUS PLASTIC.

Kane’s Son – Galactic Fugitive Hunter

Type: Art Object – ALIEN/Star Wars.
Product Line: SPACEFORCE.
Manufacturer/Distributor: Sasmak.
Country: USA.
Released: 2019.

Much like ALIEN-MAN above, Kane’s Son is an art object and also displays glow in the dark features. Unlike ALIEN-MAN, this item exists as a small production run by the manufacturer, Sasmak. Small scale garage items like this one celebrate the art of crafting unique mash-up figures you won’t otherwise see.

Crossover bootleg art objects like this aren’t new – some are just better than others and this hand painted sample dexterously mashes up Bossk, Darth Vader’s lizard like bounty hunter and our slimy pal, the Alien. It’s a well executed parody that plays into taking familiar pop culture icons to combine them in ways big IP holders would never do.

Sasmak have been making bootleg figures for a while and such items are for sale. You can find them on Facebook and Instagram.

ALIEN PEZ Dispenser

Type: Art Object.
Product Line: N/A.
Manufacturer/Distributor: Rat D.
Country: Unknown.
Released: Unknown.

Much like ALIEN-MAN, the ALIEN PEZ dispenser is often posted on Facebook and forums and naturally some people want to know where to get one. The truth is, it’s a unique custom item designed by Rat D and is not available anywhere. Like all other items on this page, it never shared any licencing permissions from the property owners it appears to represent. More details regarding the construction of this particular unique and clandestine item can be found here.

Crafting custom ALIEN PEZ dispensers has become a popular activity among fan artists wanting to add one to their collection. More of these weird and wonderful ALIEN PEZ items can be found here.

ALIEN LEGO Minifigs

Type: Mass Produced – ALIEN/LEGO.
Product Line: Unknown.
Manufacturer/Distributor: Unknown.
Country: China.
Released: Unknown.

LEGO is universally loved around the world and has been known to share licencing with as many companies as you could care to nominate. Being a toy primarily intended for children, it’s no surprise that LEGO merchandise based on R-rated movies does not exist. As a result, there has never been and will likely never be any ALIEN LEGO play sets made available. The closest we may ever see released could possibly be based on the 2004 AvP movie as that movie was rated PG-13.

This of course leaves the door wide open for 3rd Party individuals and organisations to step up and fill this void. Notable of the many unofficial LEGO products known to be available are ALIEN minifigs. These ‘bootLEGO’ items are available from vendors in a variety of different types, all compatible with legitimate LEGO products.

Most common are Minifigs of the Alien creature itself including translucent clear, blue and green versions of the creature. Minifigs of Ripley, Kane with chestburster along with the Engineers from PROMETHEUS are also available. Other Minifigs, including the ALIENS powerloader vehicle, have also been released.

BootLEGO ALIEN figures come from a variety of manufacturers, none of them licenced. This pair of black and red figures are a solid alternate choice to those immediately above. Their domeless heads and color makes them ideal collectible items for fans of Darkhorse comics, ALIENS: Genocide story which features creatures boasting this colour selection.

Packaging for these items are also known to exist, giving some identity to the “product range” these unlicenced figures are from. Here, POGO is identified as a clear intention to be confused with genuine LEGO product. Just change a few letters, and Presto! Instant marketing confusion intended to attract buyers to product that defies actual legitimacy.

Not all unlicenced products are created in large quantities such as the Chinese items above. Some items are simply crafted by individuals to meet their preferred criteria and are unique or made in very small numbers. Printable 3D .stl files are available online for LEGO minifigs. You can download and customise them if you wish. 3D printed ALIEN bootLEGO minifigs definitely exist. Here’s a fine example.

This item was created by Sean Pound who remixed them from downloadable minifig .stl files and modified them, adding several features and thus creating new .stl files. What does that make this item, then? A bootlegged 3D printed bootleg of a bootLEGO item that already exists simply because LEGO won’t make them? It’s no secret that the best bootlegs get bootlegged; and if the property, like ALIEN, is popular then it’s bound to have a chain like run on effect like this one. So why not?

Also known to exist is an 18 inch tall ALIEN bootleg LEGO kit. This kit item was originally designed by the Arvo Bros and used original LEGO pieces rather than unlicenced 3rd party product. Arvo Bros also published a book detailing the assembly of the sizeable 18 inch tall figure using genuine LEGO a couple of years back.

Homermorph

Type: Unknown – ALIEN/Simpsons.
Product Line: Unknown.
Manufacturer/Distributor: Unknown.
Country: (Presumably) Mexico.
Released: Unknown.

A little knocked around and missing all the dorsal appendages including the tail, this unlicenced figure is a crossover of two 20th Century Fox characters. This is Homer Simpson as envisaged as a xenomorph.

Very little information is available regarding this figure. It is heavy and like most other bootleg figures lacks any manufacturer details or date stamp. Presumably, it is from Mexico as an abundance of unlicenced Homer Simpson crossover figures utilising a variety of different pirated intellectual properties have originated from that country.

Images of the incomplete Homermorph provided by David Aliens EC

Having owned this piece for some time now, David has been keen to see the Homermorph figure be fully restored. Attempting to emulate the original bootleg figure and using photographic material online, the gaping holes in the figure have now been filled. Missing parts were hand crafted by the owner and now the Homermorph is at the very least “feature complete” with new pieces in place.

Populating an original toy with reproduction parts in this manner is generally shunned by many toy collectors but adding facsimile pieces to a bootleg figure is something most people wouldn’t care to contemplate. Either way, the restored figure looks terrific and gives a clear idea of what the original manufacturer’s intention was with this odd hybrid item.

Alien Task Force Play Target Gun Set.

Shooting Aliens? Of course! What could be more natural? Implacably violent Aliens have been shot at since 1979 when Ripley first harpoons the Big Chap in the chest, forcing it out the access portal of the Narcissus in the closing scene of ALIEN.

This pair of unlicenced knock off pistol and target sets hearkens back to 1979 when HG Toys released their pair of Chase and Blaster target sets featuring pistols and Alien targets. Among other big notable differences is the fact HG Toys was a fully licenced manufacturer and sibling company to Kenner, both operating under the General Mills owned CPG Corporation umbrella company creating officially licenced merchandise. These oddities, however, are straight up knock offs, manufactured in China and lack little more than item numbers to identify them. No actual manufacturer or date of manufacture appears on any of the packaging.

The vac metal gold and silver pistols are each packaged with “5 SOFT & SAFE DARTS” made from pliable rubber and terminate in suction cups. These darts are intended to be used against the pair of 100 point “STAND UP TARGETS” featuring artwork of hostile space monsters; and here in lies the true gold of this knock off product. The artwork features more than just a passing similarity to creatures seen in the ALIEN movies. Adding eyes to them does little to conceal this fact and if anything the presence of eyes adds a touch of hilarity to the whole package.

It’s also been noted these Alien targets resemble Kenner toys contemporary to the time of manufacture, in particular, the blue space monster portrait appears to closely resemble Kenner’s Gorilla Alien manufactured in the early 1990s. Co-incidence? Maybe. It’s also likely, however, to be artwork blatantly copied from that officially licenced figure. Considering the nefarious nature of this item, that scenario is likely to be the case.

Images of this pair of Alien Task Target Sets kindly provided by Marc Cawiezel

Nostromo and Narcissus Pull Back Vehicles.

Type: Mass Produced.
Product Line: STAR FORCE.
Manufacturer/Distributor: Knight.
Country: China.
Released: 1996.

Unlicenced/bootleg/knock off vehicles from the 1979 ALIEN movie are extremely uncommon. Not many are known. These Chinese made product line includes a selection of toys based on vehicles appearing in Star Wars and ALIEN movies. This box includes X-Wings, A-Wings, Mon Calamari Cruisers and the Millennium Falcon along with the Nostromo and Narcissus. There are 2 of each vehicle in the countertop display case.

These vehicles are also known to be sold individually on traditional blistered cards and also in gift box sets. Additional Star Wars vehicles known to be part of this unlicenced series include Boba Fett’s Slave One, Jabba’s Sail Barge and Darth Vader’s Tie Fighter.

These mechanised vehicles have an internal spring powered nylon gear assembly and will rapidly propel themselves when ‘pulled back’ against a hard, flat surface and released. Variants are known to exist of each vehicle and differing parts cast in black and ‘gold’ exist. They are painted using tampo method which can apply sharp details to uneven surfaces and uncharacteristic markings are visible upon them. Especially upon the Narcissus where the words “US”, “RESCUE” and “DANGER” along with the number “12” are easily seen, graphical features that differ dramatically from those seen in the movie.

Much like previous pages dedicated to Kenner Bootlegs, Mexican Oddities and other Imitation Items, this list of oddity crossovers will grow. I’ll be adding to it when I can.

Part 1: Kenner. – Bootleg Kenner ALIEN action figures.
Part 2: Mexican Oddities – Other dodgy unlicenced stuff from Mexico
Part 3: Imitations – The very strange world of not quite licenced ALIEN figures.
Part 4: Unexplained Phenomena – Mashups and curiosities of dubious origins.

In the meantime, if you have any ALIEN bootleg items you would like to see represented on these pages, please contact me. I am always looking for more to be shared and provide credit. I love seeing other weird stuff people have in their collections. Any corrections to items mentioned in these pages is also most welcome and encouraged. Sometime errors will creep in and my attempts to maintain accuracy sometimes just need an extra hand.